Mayor also wants city employees to get half-price parking in downtown garages

Mayor Alvin Brown on Thursday proposed dedicating 200 city spaces in the Yates Garage on Adams Street to help the Jessie Ball duPont Fund’s efforts renovating the Haydon Burns Library.

The spaces, which would be dedicated for five years, would accommodate the organizations and new employees the renovation will bring downtown. The fund is converting the city’s old main library into an office complex for philanthropic and nonprofit organizations.

“This is an example of public-private partnership at its best,” Brown said in a news release. “The Jessie Ball duPont Center represents a new $20 million investment in our Downtown. We welcome the organizations that will be housed in the Center and the people who will be working there. They will make a great addition to Downtown Jacksonville.”

Brown also proposed offering a 50 percent discount to city employees who park in the downtown garages, offering it as a “thank you” for their hard work.

“The City of Jacksonville is blessed with dedicated, hard-working employees,” he said. “As they do their best for the people of Jacksonville, they also contribute to the quality of life and economic vitality of our Downtown.”

Legislation for both proposals has been filed with the City Council, which has the final say.